See Also

Magistrate Tells Man Convicted of DWI to Kill Himself

A magistrate in Detroit told a 20-year-old man convicted of drunk driving that he should kill himself. She did so after the contrite young man admitted that he'd "made a lot of mistakes." The veteran magistrate, Judith Holtz, said he should "climb up on the roof of your house and jump off; either that or get in a bathtub filled with hot water and slash your wrists; then you will be dead."

Holtz refused to talk with the media about her advice to the man to commit suicide but the court issued a statement that defended her action.

It is specifically illegal in Michigan to assist suicide. By telling the young man that he should commit suicide (and even suggesting how to do so) the judge's action might be seen morally as assisting suicide.